For the second year in a row, neither Cristiano Ronaldo nor Lionel Messi made the last shortlist for the Ballon d'Or, which was increasingly finished to an era that was the worldwide football for two decades.
France football released the shortlist of 30 players on Thursday for the Ballon d'Or from 2025, with emerging stars and well -known names such as Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé first. Although a few surprises can still be in store when the winner is announced, the biggest shock is perhaps here for many fans: no Ronaldo, not Messi.
This marks the second consecutive year that both legends are excluded from the final list, a striking milestone after 20 years almost total dominance in which the duo claimed the prestigious prize a combined 13 times (Messi 8, Ronaldo 5).
A change in the guardian
Messi, now in Major League Soccer with Inter Miami, and Ronaldo, play for Al Nassr in Saudi Aarabia, have largely stepped out of the global spotlights. And with their omission from the 2025 Ballon d'Or finalists, it is clear that the torch has been passed on to a younger generation. For fans who grew up watching the two icons who fight supremacy year after year, this feels like a historic turning point.
Have Ronaldo and Messi earn it to be on the list?
Under updated Ballon d'Or criteria, collective trophies are no longer the only benchmark for success. Individual performance with clubs and national teams now also have a considerable weight – an area where both Messi and Ronaldo have made respectable contributions in the past year.
Messi led Inter Miami to win the supporters' Shield, the MLS trophy that was awarded to the team with the best record of regular season. Ronaldo was now the top scorer of Al Nassr and ended the season with more goals than any other player in the Saudi Pro League, even if the team ultimately fell short of large silverware.
On the international stage, Ronaldo played a key role in helping Portugal to win the UEFA Nations League final against Spain, and added another title to his already packed CV.
Despite their performance, the Ballon d'Or Spotlight has shifted. The newest shortlist makes clear: the Ronaldo-Messi era is almost past and a new generation of stars is ready to write the next chapter.
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